Ellens, Jackie

Jacqueline Ellens

Jackie was born into an army family and by the time she was five, she had lived in four states and two countries. Her family settled in the Michigan area where she spent her teenage years. As a young adult, she attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and studied with Gerome Kamrowski, Vincent Castagnacci, Paul Stewart and Frank Cassara. She graduated with a MFA, majoring in fine art with a minor in art history. After she finished school, she showed her paintings, fabric sculptures and prints extensively through out the tri-state region before uprooting and moving to New York City.

Once in New York, Jacqueline landed a job with a small ad-agency and learned the tools of the trade working on print ads and collateral for clients that ranged from Scuba Diving Suppliers to Book Publishers. In the early 80’s, Jackie joined the creative group of the relatively new company, HBO. In total, she spent an exciting eight years living and working in Manhattan before marring a southern boy and moving to Mississippi.

Jacqueline has lived in the Jackson metro area for over 30 years and worked for the local NBC affiliate for most of that time. She was responsible for marketing the local television programs to the public and wrote and produced TV commercials, radio spots and newspaper ads. Jacqueline completed her MBA at Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi.

Jackie frequently paints abstracts, landscapes and still lifes but is also know for her figurative work. She often describes her abstracts as an inner view and her landscapes as an outer view of her world. You will frequently see her travels, animals, friends and the Southern landscape in her paintings. She experiences the world as trembling with energy and she conveys that impression of energy and movement in her paintings with powerful, expressive strokes.

“I often paint trees finding them to be my metaphor for life. You’ll see the bright and cheerful, the wind and turmoil, the elegant and neutral. All express moods associated with my life’s experiences. I also frequently paint the landscape and enjoy the very diffuse and abstracted impression of land and water – moments of haze, sunset, emerging or waning light – moments of spiritual connection. I firmly believe that if artists didn’t create we would have to commit the lot to a very large, very padded facility and I’m sure I’m no different. I am compelled to express myself and my vision of my world in paint and I’m delighted every time that creation connects with someone and enriches their life. “